Our primary finding: the practices by which school principals are selected—even in pioneering districts—continue to fall short, causing needy schools to lose out on leaders with the potential to be great. Yet better hiring practices are only part of the solution. Districts must also re-imagine the principal’s role so that it is a job that talented leaders want, are equipped and empowered to execute successfully, and are suitably compensated.

Among the lessons districts and policymakers should heed are the following:

Make the job more appealing—and manageable

Pay great leaders what they’re worth

Take a pro-active, wide-ranging approach to recruitment

Understand the qualities and skills that make principals successful—and hire for them

Match individual schools’ needs with particular candidates’ strengths

Continually evaluate all of these processes to determine how well they’re succeeding—and make further corrections as needed